TopTurniere Situation bei der Fide-WM kurz vor Eskalation Kramniks Managment droht seinerseits mit Abbruch
29.09.2006 - Auf den offenen Brief von Silvio Danailov, dessen Vorwürfe und Forderungen sowie die Reaktion der Fide reagierte Kramniks Seite ebenfalls mit einem offenen Brief und droht seinerseits nun mit dem Abbruch des Matches. Zuvor hatte es einen zweiten offenen Brief von Danailov gegeben, in welchem er ankündigte, dass man zwar nicht zufrieden mit den Entscheidungen der Organisation sei, diese aber akzeptieren würde. Lediglich den obligatorischen Handschlag vor der Partie sowie gemeinsame Pressekonferenzen mit Kramnik wolle der Bulgare künftig verweigern. Seit ca. 13:22 Uhr soll sich nun Topalov zur fünften Runde am Brett befinden und auf Kramnik warten, dessen Bedenkzeit läuft. Letzterer soll sich hingegen in seinem Ruheraum befinden und darauf bestehen, dass ihm sein Badezimmer aufgeschlossen wird...
To the
Organizing Committee
of the match Topalov vs Kramnik
To the
Appeals Committee
Mr. Makropoulos
Mr. Azmaiparashvili
Mr. Vega
To all
mass media
Ladies and Gentlemen,
After we got
acquainted with the ruling of the Appeals Committee of the Topalov vs.
Kramnik world championship match we deem it necessary to point out the
following:
The ruling in its present form is not satisfactory to us since it
practically does not result in any change. Mr. Kramnik will be able to
visit the new bathroom an unlimited number of times without being
subject to further control.
We would accept the current relaxation rooms to continue to be
used provided that the presence of controllers in both rooms is
ensured.
When the two players need to go to the bathroom, they should be
accompanied by an assistant arbiter.
The checks carried out in the relaxation rooms were made only by
experts of the Organizing Committee, whereas our experts were present
as observers and only after the second game.
We find it difficult to understand why is it that the accredited
journalists are denied access to the video tapes from the relaxation
rooms.
The World Champion
Veselin Topalov is outraged by the suspicious behavior of his opponent
Mr. Vladimir Kramnik who in actual fact takes his most significant
decisions in the bathroom.
Despite the above,
in the name of the chess game and out of respect to FIDE, to Kalmikia
and the millions of chess lovers, Veselin Topalov is willing to continue
his participation in the match provided that measures to guarantee fair
play are taken.
If the match were
to continue, the World Champion would refrain from shaking hands with
Mr. Kramnik before the games and would not take part in joint press
conferences with him. Veselin Topalov will make statements for the media
separately.
We look forward to
receiving your response by 14.30 h hoping that it will give concrete
answers to the questions that we pose.
28.09.2006
Elista
Sincerely:
Silvio Danailov
Manager of the Bulgarian team
Ein Bild aus freundschaftlicheren Tagen - Silvio Danailov und Carsten Hensel beim Spaziergang
Das Managment von Vladimir Kramnik wandte
sich in Person von Carsten Hensel an den Fide Präsidenten Kirsan
Ilyumzhinov persönlich und erklärt sich mit den neuerlichen
Protesten von Topalov nicht einverstanden. Sämtliche Bedingungen
seien zuvor vertraglich von beiden Seiten geregelt worden und
einer Änderung würde man nicht zustimmen. Mehrfach habe sich
Topalov über dieses und jenes beschwert, doch genug sei genug. Der
einzige Grund, warum Kramnik sein Badezimmer so oft betreten
würde, wäre der Umstand, dass der eigentliche Ruheraum nicht
besonders groß sei und er deshalb beim Herumlaufen auch das
Badezimmer benutzen würde.
Offener Brief von Carsten Hensel (Manager Kramnik)
Elista, 29
September 2006
Open Letter
To
FIDE President H.E. Kirsan Iljumshinov
Copied to
Executive Committee of Kalmykia Mr. Valery Bovaev
Chief Arbiter Mr. Geurt Gijssen
Russian Chess Federation
Dear Mr. President,
The Appeals Committee of the World Championship Match
between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik made the following decision
on the protest of the Topalov Team:
“to close both the toilets in the players rest rooms and
to open another toilet that will be available only to the two players”
The Kramnik team received the mentioned decision a few
hours before the start of game 5 and was officially informed about the
protest of Mr. Topalov only yesterday evening, 10 p.m., 28 September
2006. With such a decision the WCC Committee is clearly violating both
the rules and regulations of the WCC match and the rights of Mr.
Kramnik.
The relevant clause in contract of Mr. Kramnik expels:
“FIDE shall provide a rest room and toilette for the
players during the WCC match in the playing hall and close to the stage
(if possible backstage) to be equipped with a live monitor furnished
with coffee and tea as well as with light refreshments.”
The reasons that Mr. Kramnik is entering his own bathroom
often is simple: The restroom is small and Mr. Kramnik likes to walk and
therefore uses the space of the bathroom as well. The Appeals Committee
has been informed about the issue before they decided. It should also be
mentioned that Mr. Kramnik has to drink a lot of water during the
games.
On the request of Mr. Topalov the agreed live monitors
have been removed as well as the shower cabines in the bath rooms. The
moves are provided on demonstration boards only. The substance of Mr.
Topalov protests (dated 22, 24 and 28 September 2006) were basically
always met by the approval of the Appeals Committee. Everything has been
done here to satisfy Mr. Topalov’s requests.
On a regulary basis the restrooms and toiletts are
heavily checked by specialists, obviously local police forces. This goes
together with the arrival of the players. The arbiters are observing all
the measures. One representative of each team has the right of being
present in order to observe the activities. The playing area is banned
from signals and the glas wall protects from any kind of view contact
and/or body language. There is not a single reason or evidence to
believe that a player would have any kind of cheating possibilities.
It is and was no problem for the organization to assure
all necessary measures in order to avoid any kind of cheating. By
starting the match both participants agreed all the playing conditions
de facto and de jure and the conditions are therefore legally binding.
Any change of the playing conditions without a good reason would in our
understanding request the approval of both players which is not the case
here.
Mr. Kramnik believes that the latest decision should
increasingly concern the world of chess as it shows very clearly and
once again the biased stand of the Appeals Committee members involved.
In person: Mr. Makropolous, Mr. Azmaiparashivili (well known as a close
friend to Mr. Danailov), Mr. Gelfer (now replaced by Mr. Vega).
Therefore Mr. Kramnik requests to exchange the mentioned persons
immediately. Enough is enough.
We would like to add that the recent decision not only
insults Mr. Kramnik but is clearly critizing both the excellent work of
the local organisation at Elista and the nominated arbiters. Yesterday
evening the chief arbiter and the head of the excutive committee once
again confirmed that the indirect accusations of cheating are nonsense.
The protests of the Topalov team into the direction of
Mr. Kramnik and the suspicions in the press release of Mr. Topalov are
utterly disgraceful and are touching Mr. Kramnik’s privacy. We do not
think that the Topalov team has any right of getting access to the
recordings. This shall be job of the nominated arbiters only.
The Topalov team includes a parapsychologist and more
people which are obviously having no other tasks as to distract and to
insult Mr. Kramnik especially since their team is realizing that Mr.
Topalov finds himself in a difficult situation. This is what we call an
utterly unfair behaviour which is not in accordance with the FIDE Code
of Ethics. The decision taken by the Appeals Committee can only be seen
as another attempt to disturb Mr. Kramniks concentration since it is
difficult to understand what kind of improvement it shall be to have one
toilet instead of two.
Our team does not trust the objectivity of the Appeals
Committee anymore. Therefore it makes no sense for us to bring a protest
to this table and Mr. Kramnik strongly insists once again that the
members of the Appeals Committee will be changed immediately and that
the heads of the Organizing Committee are taking their responsibilities.
In the meanwhile Mr. Kramnik will stop playing this match
as long as FIDE is not ready to respect Mr. Kramnik’s rights, in this
case to use the toilet of his own restroom whenever he wishes to do so.
Further and more detailed legal investigations are
already in process.
On behalf of Vladimir Kramnik
Yours sincerely,
Carsten Hensel
(Manager to Vladimir Kramnik, Classical World Chess
Champion)